Terror attack in northern Sinai mosque: Over 230 murdered

Terrorists, apparently from ISIS, opened fire and set off a bomb during Friday prayers in a northern Sinai mosque. Egyptian officials have confirmed that more than 235 people were murdered in the terror attack and at least 150 people were injured. Egypt has declared three days of mourning.

More than 235 people were murdered and at least 128 were wounded today (Friday) during a terror attack that took place within a mosque in the city of Bir el Abd located in northern Sinai, Egyptian media outlets reported. At the beginning of the incident, several terrorists entered the mosque, most likely in an attempt to attack Egyptian security forces located at the scene, and set off a bomb causing immense damage. Afterwards, the armed terrorists opened fire towards the worshippers.

The explosion in Egypt apparently occurred in light of the Egyptian Army’s fight against terrorist organizations operating in the Arish area, located in northern Sinai. According to eye-witness reports, worshippers attempting to flee following the explosion within the Sufi mosque were shot by the armed terrorists. As a result of the horrific terror attack, Egypt has declared three days of mourning.

Witnesses have also reported that a convoy of ambulances was dispatched to the scene and has begun an extensive evacuation of the wounded and murdered. “They also shot at the ambulances,” said one of the witnesses.

The official news agency within the country reported that local ISIS terrorists are apparently responsible for the terror attack, although no terrorist organization has officially claimed responsibility. As a result of the difficult incident, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi convened an emergency security meeting, where it was decided to raise the country’s state of alert to the highest level.

Egypt has been fighting an Islamist terror upsurge since ex-President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown in 2013. The incident today comes a week after Egyptian soldiers captured a vehicle belonging to a terror group with toxic substances in it.

In light of the security tensions within the Egyptian peninsula, the Israeli National Security Council issued a travel warning to Sinai in September, citing "an ongoing threat to carry out terror attacks against tourists in Sinai and in Egypt as a whole."